As the novel Beloved concerns the history of African Americans and the author of the novel, Tony Morrison herself is a woman of African American descent, the novel consists widely of black vernacular language to characterise the former slaves of the black community in America during the era of slavery. Some specific examples of the black vernacular language used within the novel is indicated and explained below:
"A man ain't nothing but a man"- pg. 27.
Here the ebonic is "ain't", where this indicates a negative
"You 'bout the scariest-looking something I ever seen. What you doing back up in there?"-pg. 39
Here, the "are" is left out, indicating a simple progressive
The use of diction in the novel Beloved is not only used as a means to characterize the African American community, but also adds to the historical depth of the book and the historical context of the novel. As the protagonist of the novel is a African American ex-slave, the speaker of the novel, whether it be the protagonist or a minor character such as Paul D or Stamp Paid, it is also notable that the speaker of the novel is a black person, and constantly reminds the character of the suffering involved in the lives of these African Americans. This impact on the reader that the African American characters has endured suffering can also be seen through other means such as Sethe's Chokecherry tree, thereby constantly reminding the reader of the hardships that her people went through to obtain freedom.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/diction
As the novel Beloved concerns the history of African Americans and the author of the novel, Tony Morrison herself is a woman of African American descent, the novel consists widely of black vernacular language to characterise the former slaves of the black community in America during the era of slavery. Some specific examples of the black vernacular language used within the novel is indicated and explained below:
"A man ain't nothing but a man"- pg. 27.
Here the ebonic is "ain't", where this indicates a negative
"You 'bout the scariest-looking something I ever seen. What you doing back up in there?"-pg. 39
Here, the "are" is left out, indicating a simple progressive
The use of diction in the novel Beloved is not only used as a means to characterize the African American community, but also adds to the historical depth of the book and the historical context of the novel. As the protagonist of the novel is a African American ex-slave, the speaker of the novel, whether it be the protagonist or a minor character such as Paul D or Stamp Paid, it is also notable that the speaker of the novel is a black person, and constantly reminds the character of the suffering involved in the lives of these African Americans. This impact on the reader that the African American characters has endured suffering can also be seen through other means such as Sethe's Chokecherry tree, thereby constantly reminding the reader of the hardships that her people went through to obtain freedom.